Nightmares
by purinsesu-sereniti
Summary: A short, oneshot featuring the ultimate otp- Harry and Ginny. The idea came from a tumblr user. I used my own fanfic's storyline and timeline, but the original idea is not mine. :) Nightmares plague Harry in the years that follow Voldemort's fall from power- nightmares of the loss he had almost suffered.
1. Chapter 1

_The shadows climbed along the walls, fear crept into his heart; knees wobbling, heart pounding, and pulse racing... Deep, even breaths could not still his beating heart and no amount of "maybe not's" could force away the dark thoughts. Soft voices filtered through his mind but he could not focus upon those- instead his eyes were on her, his mind screaming for her, his lips silently moving with the syllables of her name. The air of the dungeon chilled him to the very core, deep down into his very bones... He took a single step forward, ignoring the shadows that danced all around him. He approached her still, silent form, laid out across the floor as if she slept; her crimson locks spread out beneath her head, her face turned away, one hand lay to her side and the other reached out above her head, fingers grasping at nothing. Kneeling down beside her, he rose her up, cradling her against his chest, heart pounding harder than ever, his stomach turning over as he turned her face towards him..._

He snapped awake with a shout, nearly throwing himself from the bed in his haste to fully awaken. Panting, he ran his hands along his face, groaning softly in the darkness of his bedroom. How many times would he awaken from such a nightmare? The image of her, of his beloved Ginny, flashed once again behind his lids; her pale skin, paler than parchment, her emaciated body weighing next to nothing in his arms. For how long would he suffer the grief of having almost lost her? Of almost not having her asleep beside him, their child in the crib in the room down the hall? That had been well over three years ago and she was safe, she was fine! He knew he would never forget the look of her when he'd stumbled upon her and Draco in that dungeon, mere ghosts of the people they had once been. It had been so long to recover and in truth, she was never the same, not entirely. Nor was he, for that matter. Seeing her in such a state had put him into a frenzy, had renewed his need and want to end the war, to safeguard those he loved the most. He had vowed never to let her come into harm's way again. Of course, she had always had other plans, but those such memories were for another night... He had enough of memories for one night.

Eyes still closed, he thrust a hand to her side of the bed, longing to feel the smoothness of her skin beneath his old t-shirt, to inhale her sweet and oh-so familiar scent. To his utter horror, his hand was not awarded the warmth of her body, but instead the coolness of the sheets. Harry's eyes snapped open and he flew out of the bed, his fears suddenly returning ten-fold. Where was she? "Ginny?" He called out, softly at first, but there came no response. His chest tightened, his stomach dropping. He raced from their bedroom, thundering down the hall, his footsteps echoing along the old wood. "Ginny!" He could not stop himself from shouting, his voice full of panic, his heart thudding hard within his chest. Throwing open the door to the nursery, he half-expected to find her there, perhaps she had fallen asleep nursing their infant son, perhaps she was smushed into his crib because sometimes she too needed reminders of her present life. Because sometimes she too felt the pull of the darkness, the grasping of the shadows that seemed to forever follow them. But as he entered, Harry came to realize she was not within those four walls. He stooped over the crib, to where the infant still soundly slept, not awakened by his father's shouts. A moment of relief as he reached down, tenderly running a hand over the downy dark hair; he was safe. But where... Where was his mother? Where was Ginny?

Racing from the room, he tore through the house, calling out to her; he threw open every door, lit every single light, panic rising and quickly turning to terror.

High, high above the house, Ginny soared through the skies, undetected beneath the Invisibility Cloak. On a night such as this one, where her dreams had been plagued by nightmares, she simply chose to avoid sleep instead. And so she'd gone out into the night, her broom in one hand, the other one draping the cloak over her shoulders, hiding her from any and all eyes that might have been looking out their windows. It was not too terribly often that she suffered such nightmares, not anymore, but like everything else in life, they came when she least expected them. In the years since her capture and imprisonment she had grown, she had changed, she had become someone new. She had to, it was her only way to survive, her only way to cope with all that had happened to her. And to Draco. The loss of him still hurt, even to this day, and she supposed it always would. Draco had been her protector, had been her strength when she had wanted to give in. But now he was gone and she had new strength to rely on. Ginny could not help but to smile as she thought of them both, of Harry with his emerald eyes and James with his little gummy smile. Her heart swelled with pride at the thought of her infant son, a mirror image of his father at eight months old, who surely would follow in his father's troublemaking footsteps, though his eyes would always be his mother's. Of all things... Being a mother was what she was meant to become. All that had happened? It was in the past. It was over. She was safe and loved and never alone. But sometimes... Sometimes the past still caught up with her.

She had been out for no longer than twenty mintutes when she saw the first light in their home turn on. Without thinking, she flew back to the ground, her feet touching down as Harry's voice caught her ears. By then, all of the lights were on inside the home and she could see him passing by the bay window. As if he could sense her, he turned, and their eyes met. The moment his eyes fell upon her, relief spread through him; his kness went momentairly weak with it, but then he was running, racing out into the back yard, his bare feet slipping and sliding on the dewy grass. Before Ginny could even speak, he was throwing his arms around her, dragging her to the ground, his lips on hers, his cheeks wet against hers. "I thought... I thought..." He kept mumbling, pulling back suddenly, his palms cupping either side of her cheeks, emerald eyes staring deep into her brown. "The bed was empty." He finally said, as if this explained it all. But it did, oh it truly did. At once she understood and she was flooded with guilt. He was running a hand through her wind-swept hair, his eyes eagerly taking in the sight of her, his hands shaking as they trailed down her body. "I thought you were gone."

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, I should have..." She was cut off as his lips found hers once more, his body shaking as he tugged her closer, his arms winding around her slim frame, his chin resting atop her head, silencing her. Just having her there in his arms was enough... There was no need for anything else. Just having her there, safe and alive in his arms was enough. "Was it a dream?" Her soft voice caused him to lift his head, to look down at her beautiful features marred by concern. Her hand slipped into his, giving it a gentle squeeze, her lips curving with a sweet, comforting smile. "I'm alright, Harry, I'm here... I'm safe. _We're_ safe." _safe..._ What an interesting word safe was. It was something he had never felt before a few years ago. It was something he thought he'd never feel, something he thought his loved ones would never have. Safety was unheard of in the world controlled by Voldemort. But he was dead and gone for two years now. They were living in a new world where there was nothing to fear. He had no reason to fear losing her or James or anyone else. She reached her free hand up, brushing a lock of hair from his forehead, revealing the lightning bolt shaped scar there. Gently tugging his face down towards hers, she placed a kiss to the scar, then down his tear-stained cheek and to his lips, her other hand raising up to rest against the back of his head. "I'm never going anywhere."

As they rose up, his arm slung protectively around her waist, Ginny could not help but to smile; even their worst nightmares were the same... And their sweetest dreams too. He led her back into their home, where one by one they flipped the lights off, and made one last stop before returning to their own room. James slept soundly in his crib, his little fist clenched at his side; reaching down, Ginny ran her fingertips along the curve of his cheek, unable to keep herself from smiling upon their son. Harry, with his arm still around her, leaned over to kiss their child and then tugged her from the room, down the hall and into their own bedroom. As he stripped her from her clothes, Ginny felt her heart quickening its pace, felt her stomach as it fluttered with butterflies; his mouth was upon hers then, his arms lifting her up to carry her to their bed. He deposited her and climbed in after her, pulling her close to him, hastily throwing a blanket over their bare frames a moment later. He was murmuring into her ear and then silence lapsed and his breathing slowed until after a short while, he'd drifted off to sleep, one arm draped over her hips. Turning onto her other side, so she faced him instead, Ginny watched him as he slept. She offered a silent prayer that his sleep would be restful and his dreams beautiful... She hoped he dreamed of her now, of their wonderful son and their new, beautiful life. As she closed her own eyes, she knew without a doubt, there would be no more nightmares. Not tonight, not ever.


	2. Chapter 2

It was not everyday that one witnessed the loss of a life.

Unless of course your name was Harry Potter.

Over the course of his twenty-something years, he'd bore witness to more death than most witnessed in all of their lives. War would do that to a person though, he supposed. Now that said war was over, he'd looked forward to living in peace and tranquility… which didn't feel like it'd ever truly come. Even now, some five years after the war's end he was still dealing with loss and battles. Of course it was not nearly as rampant as it had once been, most of Voldemort's loyal supporters were locked away or dead... But a select few still roamed freely, still popped up from wherever it was that they hid to cause nothing but trouble.

Which was what led him to that exact moment.

The Muggle man knelt beside the body of his wife, who had breathed her last breath only a few moments before. Two Muggles, innocent bystanders, caught in the crossfire of a onetime Death Eater duo who -thought they could single-handedly bring down Harry Potter. Just like that, he was fifteen again, sixteen, seventeen… Watching someone die simply because of who he was. "Mate," beside him, Ron was pointing towards the Death Eaters, who though tied by ropes at their hands and feet, were beginning to stir and thrash about. Swallowing, Harry nodded his head and watched as Ron strode forward, his wand pointing high into the air to emit a burst of blue sparks, followed by a burst of green. Both of which would signal the Ministry to captured Death Eaters as well as a dead Muggle. Within moments the wizards and witches were on scene, some from Akzaban's department, the others from the Muggle Liaison Department. As always, they would have to blast the memory of how the man's wife had died. He would have no memory of how she died, merely the pain of it happening at all.

As he always did after a particularly hard mission, Harry felt the twinge of pain one felt whenever loss was suffered. His own scars prickled and he longed to feel the familiar warmth of his loved ones. He cast a quick glance towards Ron, his best friend and now his brother, and felt relief spreading through him to know he was well and safe. His mind turned to the others, his wife and the rest of their family… There were so many he now could call family… He needed to see her.

When all was said and done and the Muggle man had been transported away and the notes were written up and signed, Harry and Ron Apparated away, leaving the other Ministry members to clean up the last of the mess. Though once they might have appeared in the same places, neither he nor Ron lived at the Burrow any longer. They both had their own, respective homes near each other's, and both lived with the women they loved. Harry had, as soon as it'd been possible, gone to the Ministry to seek approval for returning his parent's old home to living conditions. It had been granted immediately. At first, it had been mostly he and Ron living there, with Hermione joining them on her breaks during her last year at school (of course they'd not returned themselves). That following year, Ginny joined in their ranks of spending her breaks at the home, bouncing between there and the Burrow. Then, Ginny's school days had ended and everything began to change. That same summer, the one where Harry turned nineteen, Ron and Hermione married in a small ceremony in the backyard of the Burrow. That fall when Ginny turned eighteen, in fact on that same night, Harry took her by the hand and slipped a diamond on her finger. The following spring, they too wed in the backyard of the Burrow.

Their marriage was but two years old that night he returned from the mission where the Muggle man lost his wife. In fact, it was their two year anniversary, and his twenty-first birthday loomed in those coming months. And something else too.

When he arrived home, he burst in through the kitchen door, allowing it to slam closed behind him. The lights in the kitchen were off as were the rest in the home and his chest was tightening, his heart was hammering as he moved his way into the living room, where Ginny had already risen to her feet, looking frightened but sleepy as he came to her. She had been asleep on the couch, he noted as he caught sight of the blanket trailing over the couch's edge, and for a split second he felt remorse for being so loud. "Harry, what's-" she was cut off as his lips found hers, his arms winding around her frame, holding her close to him. As he drew his lips away, he merely held onto her, breathing in her familiar scent, finding comfort in both that and the warmth of her skin against his. "Harry, what's wrong?"

This was not the first time he'd come home from a mission like this; frantic, wild, chaotic. Ginny knew that something had happened, something enough to set him over the edge. He was quiet then, releasing her to instead hold her at arms length. Then his hands were trailing down, tracing the outline of her body until they came to rest on either side of her swelling belly, his body stooping down to fall upon his knees, cheek pressed lightly against the curve of her stomach. "Nothing." His response was so soft she might have missed it had she dared to breathe. Her hands tangled themselves into his raven locks, relishing in the feeling of having his hands pressed against her growing stomach, of the feeling it gave her seeing him cradle her belly like it was their child instead. He stood up then, taking a single step back to look at her, to take in the sight of her standing before him: beautiful and safe. She was beautiful in this mid stage of her pregnancy, where her stomach had simply popped overnight one night a few weeks back. It was incredible to feel the swift movements of their child against the palm of his hand. There was nothing better than seeing her standing there before him.

He moved on to his normal nightly routine after a mission; a hot shower, leftover dinner, and bed a few hours after Ginny would have turned in. That night, he went to bed later than usual, but still felt trapped and riddled with anxiety. As he climbed into bed beside Ginny, who was breathing soft and deep as she slept, he knew just how lucky he was to have her. Anything could have happened to her. There were so many instances that had put her life into danger, so many times that she could have been robbed of her life. But there she was. Unlike the man from earlier that day, he still had the light in his life. Unable to stop himself, he rolled onto his side towards her, and slipped his arms around her. He drew her body back, pressing himself against her, hearing the soft sound of her moan in protest as he disturbed her sleep. "Sorry," he breathed into her ear, his teeth nipping softly at her earlobe. "I didn't mean to wake you." He lay his head against the pillow, his hands crossing across her stomach, her buttocks pressed tightly against his groin.

Now this, this was unlike Harry.

In these days of her being pregnant, he did not disturb her when she slept. He might have done such a thing years ago, in the days following the war, but not now. Wiggling against his hold, he loosened it, and she turned over to instead face him. His emerald eyes were stormy and full of raging winds of emotions. "Tell me." She instructed, keeping her gaze locked on his; at first he opened his mouth to protest, to tell her that nothing was wrong, but she pinned him with that skeptical brown-eyed gaze, and like always he found himself to be spilling his guts.

He told her of the fight, of how despite his best judgment, the two Muggles had been caught within the crossfire. How the young woman had been struck by a stray Killing Curse and the distraught husband had fallen to his knees as he screamed. He told her how he had watched that unfold and how he knew, without a doubt, how easily that could have been him. How he worried that one day he would be the one crying over her, because he had not been able to protect her. Ginny felt her heart breaking inside of her chest and it wasn't long before she silenced him with a kiss, her lips pressed to his, her freckled cheeks damp with tears. "Harry, stop." She murmured, cupping his cheeks with her palms, trying to offer him an encouraging sort of smile. "I'm not going anywhere. We're safe now." He nodded, like a child might have nodded when his mother told him there were no monsters under his bed. Like that child, Harry still needed reassurance that all was well and they were safe from harm. His hands came up to fall into place over hers and for a moment they remained like that, until she drew his hands down towards her stomach. "They like hearing your voice," she said softly, indicating the child had begun to move upon hearing Harry speak. He smiled then, a weary smile that began to grow as Ginny trailed his hands across her belly, following the path line of a foot and a hand that moved inside her. "I love you," she murmured softly, her hand then extending out to brush a lock of raven hair from his forehead, bringing the old lightning bolt shaped scar into view. Even after all these years, he feared losing her- feared losing this new life of his. She couldn't blame him for that, after all he'd gone through… all the losses he'd suffered… Of course he'd still yet fear for her life. Of course he'd still yet worry that something might happen. But they were safe now. They could be happy now.

Their nightmares were over.


End file.
